Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassins #1) by Robin LaFevers
Release Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
549 Pages
Received: Library
Format: Hardcover
Rating:
Description:
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?
Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?
Review: For a book that’s over 500, it sure feels like a much shorter book. Grave Mercy clocks in at 549 pages but I finished it in less than a day. I feel a bit sheepish for doubting this book when Katytastic was talking about it in her videos. I thought “Well she liked it, but it doesn’t sound like it’s for me.” How wrong I was.
Two words, people. Assassin. Nuns.
Yes, you read that correctly. Assassin nuns, nuns that kill people, killer nuns. It’s a thing.
The court politics of this book remind me a great deal of Kristin Cashore’s Graceling series. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, all kinds of plotting and intrigue to wade through to find the truth. That’s part of what makes this series so rich, it keeps you on your toes and someone is always one step ahead.
The other thing that makes this series so beautiful is the mythology. Many people know that I’m a sucker for a good mythology. This book is a historical fantasy, not a high fantasy. Some of the characters are or are based on real people, sometimes it is easy to forget that. The mythology is so well done and so complex that sometimes I feel like I’m in a whole new world. That can be both a good and a bad thing. But I often let it slide because of just how good the story is. I found it impossible to put down.
The heroes are very complicated, they are motivated by so many different factors: their pasts, the present, family, duty, love, hope, faith, and everything in between. They are complex without being overwhelming. The side characters are also well written, and there’s one in particular whom I find very endearing, fans of this series will know who I’m talking about.
This series quickly became one of my top 10. It has a lot of heart and beautiful writing to go with it. Book two has already been released (and reviewed on the blog, check the index) while the third and final book will be released on November 4. I highly recommend this series for fans of fantasy and for those who like the political intrigue.
What did you think of Grave Mercy? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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